Today is the deadline to enter The British Wills and Probate Awards
The deadline to enter The British Wills and Probate Awards 2026 is today (Friday 3rd July). Firms wishing to enter one of the 22 categories will need to register by midnight, with the deadline for final submissions one week from today on Friday 10th July. Organised by Today’s Media, publishers of Today’s Wills and Probate, […]
Didn’t see that coming: TV psychic issued with £216,000 costs order
A television personality has been issued with a £216,000 costs order, £150,000 payable immediately, after failing to convince a court his father lacked testamentary capacity when drafting his 2016 will. ‘Cockney Bard’ Gary Allen, real name Gary Pammen, was disinherited by his father Terrance Pammen in his 2016 will, which only coming to light when […]
Could client account uncertainty be impacting the appetite of private equity to invest in law?
Proposals to reform client accounts and use the interest to capitalise the justice system, including legal aid, could be affecting the appetite of private equity to invest in law firms. An article in the Sunday Times newspaper suggested private equity companies could be deterred from investing in law firms until the outcome of the Ministry […]
PM Law COFA disqualified and ordered to pay £1350 costs
The Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration (COFA) at failed law firm PM Law has been disqualified from holding senior and compliance roles in law firms under section 99 of the Legal Services Act 2007, according to a Solicitors Regulation Authority decision published this week. Jonathon Bostock, a chartered accountant, was a non-lawyer manager and […]
Landmark crypto standards introduced
Firms supporting people to buy, trade and hold crypto will need to meet clear standards under landmark rules set out by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). All firms must meet financial resilience requirements including capital and stress testing. The FCA is also introducing new market integrity rules covering areas such as insider trading and market manipulation. The new framework also sets out specific rules for stablecoins, a type of cryptoasset designed to maintain a stable value, typically by being […]
FCA shares new proposals for simplifying insurance and funeral plan requirements
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has set out further proposals for simplifying insurance and funeral plan requirements while maintaining appropriate consumer protection. The plans are part of wider efforts to streamline rules and reduce complexity for firms, and follow final rules published in December last year. In a consultation running until 4 September, the FCA is […]
Back to the future: The return of the ‘family lawyer’
Given the changing dynamics of estate planning and private client law there is an opportunity for lawyers and law firms to reassert the principle of the ‘family lawyer’; someone to whom a family can turn to time and again for legal needs. Not a purely transactional relationship, but one based on trust and mutual respect. […]